‘May peace be with all of you,’-New Pope Robert Prevost, to be known as Pope Leo XIV tells crowds
The new pope is American Robert Prevost.
The newly elected, Chicago-born pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, is now on the front balcony to deliver his first speech.
Addressing the cheering crowd in Italian, 69-year-old says: “Peace be with all of you.
“Brothers and sisters dearest, this is the first greeting of Christ resurrected. I would like to offer a greeting of peace to reach your families, all of you, wherever you are. May peace be with you.”
Pope Leo XIV says he wants to deliver his own blessing to the people
More lines from the new pope, who continues with a message of peace as he notes “God loves us all, unconditionally”.
He pays tribute to his predecessor, Pope Francis, as he says he wants to deliver his own blessing to the people as Pope Francis did in his last appearance in St Peter’s Square.
“Humanity needs Christ as a bridge to be reached by God and his love. Help us, and help each other, build bridges.”
PROFILE
Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 8, 2025.
He is of Peruvian-American origin. He served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since 2023. He previously served as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023, and was prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001 to 2013.
In 2015 Cardinal Prevost became a naturalized citizen of Peru as confirmed by Peru’s National Civil Registry.
On May 8, 2025, he was elected Pope, choosing the papal name Leo XIV and becoming the first Pope born in North America, or the United States.
Source: BBC
